Development Buzz: Rize Mount Pleasant Proprosal

As the city continues its push to densify outside of the downtown peninsula, developers and the city are butting ends with the NIMBY’s (Not in My Back Yard). This won’t change anytime soon as Vancouverites love to complain and many find it’s hip to bash developers and label them as greedy gentrifiers. Mount Pleasant, a neighbourhood that is quickly densifying, is currently ground central for NIMBY’s in this city. Take for instance this project that has gone through numerous revisions in order to appease the Mount Pleasant community. Tonight The City of Vancouver is holding a presentation and discussion period on the proposed Kingsway project from 6pm until 8pm at the Heritage Hall, 3102 Main St. Hopefully this one finally passes and construction can commence on a desolate corner in Mount Pleasant.
The revised application by Rize includes the following:
•two-storey commercial podium
•241 dwelling units
•building heights of 5, 5, 9 and 19 storeys
•floor space ratio (FSR) of 5.55
•underground parking for 320 vehicles
•increased sidewalk widths on portions of the Kingsway and 10th Avenue frontages
•a cash contribution towards off-site cultural or civic facilities, or other approved public benefit, in lieu of the originally proposed on-site artist studio production space

In a region of 2.5 million, restricted by large bodies of water, mountains and ALR, the only way to house the 50,000 + people moving to the lower mainland is to build upwards. Approximately 10,000 people move into Vancouver each year, so this nonsense that we have over supply in the condo market is just that, nonsense. Truth is, developers wouldn’t build if there wasn’t a demand for their product.

This development sits at the eastern edge of the dense and large employment region known as the Central Broadway corridor. It also sits next to a future skytrain station for what is probably the most important transit project that has yet to happen, the UBC line. For those reasons alone, that part of Mount Pleasant needs to embrace, absorb and build additional density. Current residents will have to embrace it and no amount of complaining will stop it from happening.